Chapter 1091: The troops are divided into three groups
Sneak attack, pursuit, ambush, sniper...
In one day, Ye Zide saw that the rich tactics and strategies of the Tang Dynasty had been used flexibly. This made him learn from the experience and realized that his tactical literacy was not good enough compared with the Anxi army general, so he decided to change his strategy in time.
Since the Anxi Army is weak and the vastness of the Western Region makes it impossible for the Anxi Army to securely defend one place, otherwise it will inevitably focus on one thing and lose the other, then why not simply divide the army into two, or even three, or four groups, and have all the armies march together towards the place where the Anxi Protectorate is located?
Advance to Jiaohe City, and then join together to capture Jiaohe City and approach Yumen Pass?
Anyway, the total number of the Anxi Army is only 40,000, and they have to be divided up to garrison at strategic locations such as Jiaohe and Luntai. The Anxi Army in front of me is only 20,000 at best. Although my 200,000-strong army has suffered tens of thousands losses, it is still not enough.
The remaining 150,000 to 60,000 troops were divided into three groups, each with 50,000 men and horses, and marched in unison until they reached Luntai and crossed the river. Isn't it true that the Anxi army was helpless?
Even if one of them can be resisted, the other two are enough to capture Jiaohe, Luntai and other cities. When the time comes, they can turn around and attack from both front and rear. The Anxi army in front of them will have no choice but to be completely wiped out.
Ye Zide felt that his thinking was clear now and he had pinpointed the Anxi Army's weak point. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this plan was brilliant. He quickly summoned all the generals and lieutenants to the camp to discuss the division of troops.
When the generals arrived, he pointed to the two at the front and said: "I want to divide the army into three. Hajaj and Ibn Qasim, you two will each lead one army. I will lead the middle army, and we will lead the three."
Lu Qi went straight to Luntai City, but I don’t believe that the Tang army dared to divide its forces to attack with such little strength!"
All the generals in the tent were shocked.
Hajjaj was Mu'awiya's most trusted general. In order to let Yezid accomplish the feat of conquering the Western Regions, he appointed his assistant. His status, qualifications, and military exploits were very high, so he was not too used to Yezid. At the moment
He said in a deep voice: "Young master, no! Although the Anxi army is weak in strength, it is well-trained, possesses the power of crossbows and firearms, and is powerful in combat! Although our army has a large number of people, most of it is recruited temporarily.
Civil servants and slaves usually lack training and do not have an advantage when facing the elite Anxi army. If we divide our troops into three groups, wouldn't it be bad if the Anxi army tightly blocks one of them and beats them all the way?"
He was loyal to Muawiya and admired him very much, but he did not look down upon Yazid.
In his opinion, Ye Qide is a brave and foolhardy second-generation ancestor. Since entering the Western Regions, his many commands have been frustrated. He was beaten to a pulp by the Anxi Army. Now he has come up with such a bad idea...
The Anxi Army only has 40,000 to 50,000 men, and the Arab Army is several times that number. With such a superior force, why do you need those fancy tactics? All you need to do is join forces in one place and push them all the way across. It is difficult to let the Anxi Army have three heads and six arms.
Block the sharpness of the army.
But this young master prides himself on being smart and thinks that he is extremely talented in military strategies. He refuses to advance openly and has to play with these inexplicable tactics and strategies.
No matter how talented you are, can you still be better than the Tang people?
When our ancestors wore animal skins, slept in caves, and drank blood, people began to study the art of war. Generations of people have come up with endless art of war, and all kinds of military books and strategies are like stars. Our advantage is the number of troops and the number of soldiers.
Being brave, you have to use your shortcomings to attack the enemy's strong points. Isn't this looking for death...
However, Yezid was very unhappy with Hajaji's open rebuttal. He frowned and said categorically with a cold face: "I summoned you here not to discuss matters, but to convey orders. Before leaving, my father allowed me to act arbitrarily
Everyone in the army obeys orders. Hajaji, do you dare to obey your father's orders?"
Hajiaj was blocked by these words and could only sigh and bow: "General, you dare to disobey your orders? You should obey the orders of the young master."
The Arabs have a strict hierarchy. Nobles are always nobles. Even if they die, their burial regulations are not the same as those of ordinary people. They are comparable to slaves. Soldiers are also lowly, just a little higher than slaves. They are not even as good as a farmer with land.
How dare you mess with Ye Qide, a noble man from Tianhuang?
Regardless of his high prestige in the army, if Ye Zide tied him up at this time, pushed him out of the door, and beheaded him, I'm sure not a single soldier would stand up and cry out for him...
Yazid looked at Ibn Qasim again: "General, do you have any objections?"
Ibn Qasim hesitated for a moment and asked hesitantly: "The young master is wise and powerful. This strategy will definitely make the Anxi army lose sight of one thing and be overwhelmed... But the general wants to ask, how to arrange this heavy supply of food?"
The atmosphere in the tent became quieter and quieter.
In the battle of Suiye City, the ambitious Arab army was hit hard by the Anxi army. Not only did they resort to the tragic "flooding Suiye City" strategy, which caused heavy losses to the Arab army, even the "Sword of Allah" beside the Caliph was completely destroyed.
The most important thing was to be destroyed by the Anxi Army's surprise attack on the rear line, which resulted in all the food, fodder and baggage being burned cleanly.
The loss of the "Sword of Allah" was indeed an extremely heavy loss that could not be explained to the Caliph, but after all, the Arab army had the superior strength and was still sure of victory.
However, the loss of grain and supplies caused problems in the supply of the 200,000-strong army. Although the "recruitment" of the Hu tribes in the Western Regions relieved the urgent need, such a small amount of grain and fodder was only a drop in the bucket. It was seen that the Hu tribes in the Western Regions had been wiped out.
, the food supply will soon be unsustainable.
Ye Zide choked.
This battle was really frustrating...
Food and supplies? What can he do? Is it possible that he can conjure it out of thin air? Especially in the Western Regions, the various Hu tribes are rich and powerful, and they have also plundered a lot of gold and silver during this period of suppression. However, the land is barren and the deserts and Gobi deserts cannot produce grain.
There was very little space, and the food stolen was simply not enough to supply the army for a long time.
He stood up, came to the simple map hanging on the wall, stretched out his big hand and patted one of the places, and said loudly: "Luntai City! It snowed heavily in the Western Regions, and the roads were frozen. The Tang army built strong walls and cleared the fields to transport food and supplies.
It has been transported to Luntai City, but it cannot be transported to Jiaohe City or even Yumen Pass again. Therefore, as long as we capture Luntai before the snow stops, we will naturally have countless grains and supplies to reward the army!"
He turned around, with an excited expression on his face, and poured blood on his face: "You are all heroes of the empire, but ask yourself, can your achievements support your noble status, title, and wealth? This vast Western Region is threaded with silk.
Road, as long as we can conquer the entire Western Region and hold the Silk Road in our hands, this will be a feat that will shock the ages! In the future, every big food merchant who travels on the Silk Road will remember that this is us
Climbing on ice and lying in the snow, I shed my blood to defeat them! With such a feat right in front of you, so easily accessible, can you bear to let it slip from your lips?"
"cannot!"
The generals in the tent responded loudly.
The Arabs do not value military merit, but only value wealth. Whoever can plunder more wealth during the war and open the way to wealth will be the undisputed hero.
If the entire Western Region can be conquered, it will not only expand the territory of the empire rapidly, but also open up the Silk Road, benefiting countless Arabs, and the status of these soldiers will rise.
You know, the Silk Road was a trade route full of gold that the entire Western world coveted...
Seeing that the morale was high and the military morale was ready, Hajaj no longer objected.
Ibn Qasim observed his words and boasted: "The young master sent more than ten thousand fine cavalry to bypass Gongyue City and Luntai City and penetrate directly between Jiaohe City and Yumen Pass. It was truly a superb move! As long as the Tang Dynasty can be annihilated, it will come.
The reinforcements from the Western Region will be able to dampen the enemy's energy and frighten the enemy's courage, and the conquest of the Western Region will be just around the corner!"
"Ha ha!"
Ye Zide was very proud and said with a smile: "I don't dare to take credit for this matter. My father is in Damascus, but he can have contacts within the Tang Dynasty. The reason why we are marching now can know the depth of the Anxi Army everywhere.
The truth is what my father learned from the people of Tang Dynasty. It is a fact known to all the world that the Han people are strong, but the Han people are never willing to speak unanimously to the outside world. They always find ways to drag their own people back and give the enemy a great opportunity.
Therefore, now that we have informants within Datang, I know that even Chang'an sent an army to support the Anxi Army, so how can we not win this battle?"
"We must win! We must win!"
The generals cheered and shouted loudly.
Ye Qide was so proud that the bad luck of being killed during the day and fleeing in embarrassment seemed to be gone.
He had great hopes for the cavalry that went to Jiaohe City to sneak attack the Tang Dynasty reinforcements. It was a calculation without any intention. The Tang army could not have expected that someone would suddenly appear in the area controlled by the Tang army and make a sudden surprise attack.
, plus there are important figures within the Anxi Protectorate as support, how could it not be successful?
As long as the supporting army is annihilated, Jiaohe City is captured, and the Anxi Protectorate is uprooted, the entire Anxi Army will be leaderless, besieged from both sides, and under attack from both front and rear, it will only be a matter of time before the entire army is annihilated.
And by taking advantage of the situation, he led his army to sweep through the entire Western Region. Not only could he complete the mission assigned by his father, but if he was lucky, he could even break through the Yumen Pass and point his troops directly at Guanzhong, the heart of the Tang Dynasty... Great achievements for the ages could be achieved at your fingertips.